Shark Bait

Picking up The Niuhi Shark Saga, you’d think I was afraid of sharks. It’s right there in the title of the series. In the books people get stalked by sharks, bit by sharks, and die because of sharks. As an island kid growing up in the ocean during the 1970s—the premier Jaws era—it would make a lot of sense.

But sharks don’t scare me.

Being alone and misunderstood does.

You don’t have to be Sigmund Freud to figure out the sub-text of The Niuhi Shark Saga. I grew up a part-Hawaiian, but perpetually sunburned haole-looking girl in Kahului, Maui. From kindergarten through fourth grade, I was the only person with blond hair and blue-eyes in the entire school district, including the staff.

This didn’t change until my family moved to Kalama Valley on Oahu, where in 5th grade at Kamiloiki Elementary there were more kids who looked like me. But nobody spoke Pidgin, which I thought was the language of school. You can imagine my surprise when my teacher, nose in the air, told my mother I needed remedial English lessons and she was recommending me for Resource, which was code for special ed and not in her classroom. I didn’t need English lessons. I just needed to speak as I spoke at home at school.

The shock on Mrs. Goo’s face when I switched mid-sentence from Pidgin to perfect English was almost worth the hell of being in her class.

Almost. I won’t say more, except that when you’re a kid, being good at sports is crucial to overcoming prejudice. That, and a great right hook.

Consequently, a lot of my fiction involves a character that is isolated from others, usually for a reason he or she has no control over. In The Niuhi Shark Saga, Zader is isolated because he’s allergic to water. He’s the weird kid that others put up with because of his popular surfing star brother, Jay.

In One Boy, No Water, Zader fears being left behind if Jay and Char Siu get accepted into Ridgemont Academy for ninth grade. Without Jay around, there’s the real possibility that Zader will be the Blalah’s perpetual punching bag. But as the story progresses, Zader discovers that Jay needs him too, and that being different can be a source of strength.

In One Shark, No Swim and One Truth, No Lie, Zader and Jay learn that anything they love can be taken away. Because of love, Zader sacrifices himself and travels the world alone, wary that he will turn into the monster everyone thinks he is. Jay becomes consumed with revenge, loses his golden boy status, and has to humble himself and learn from others before he can find peace in the ocean again. Both Zader and Jay reject what others think are their destinies, and prove that family are people you choose and not necessarily related by blood.

The Niuhi Shark Saga takes place in modern Hawaii where all the Hawaiian myths, legends, and gods are real, but under the radar of most humans. It’s my hope that readers come away with a deeper understanding of island life than what’s reflected in Hollywood movies and shows like Hawaii 5-0.

And there are sharks. Did I mention the sharks? Monster-sized Niuhi sharks, with mouthfuls of teeth, all-consuming hunger, and extra-sensory perception. They are apex predators without a lick of human remorse or conscience.

Oh, and Niuhi sharks? They can appear in human form. Unlike Jaws, if a Niuhi shark is interested in you, even on land, you’re not safe. There is no bigger boat.

Sleep tight.

About the Niuhi Shark Saga:

In Hawaii, thirteen-year-old adopted Zader Kaonakai Westin is living in his brother Jay’s shadow.

Jay Kapono Westin is popular—a good student and a surfing star, almost guaranteed a spot at prestigious Ridgemont Academy next year. Zader, on the other hand, is the weird kid allergic to water who sits above the beach and sketches all day.

A favorite target of the bully Blalahs, Zader relies on Jay to keep him safe. But Zader has secrets, like the frightening Man with Too Many Teeth and his friendship with Dream Girl, a mysterious girl who haunts his nights. Uncle Kahana seems to know more about Zader’s past than he’s sharing, especially about his water allergy and inability to eat rare meat or seafood.

When Jay has a shark scare that keeps him out of the ocean, things are set in motion that forever change their destiny. It’s going to push Zader, Jay, and their friend Char Siu beyond their limits to solve the Niuhi Shark Saga.

In a world where Pacific myths and legends come to life, fans of Disney’s Moana and Lilo & Stitch, The Karate Kid, and the Percy Jackson series will love The Niuhi Shark Saga trilogy.

This newly revised third edition contains new content and a discussion guide.

In Hawaii, things are looking up for adopted fourteen-year-old Zader Koanakai Westin. He’s headed to Ridgemont Academy in the fall with his brother Jay and friend Char Siu. The Blalahs have moved onto new targets, Jay’s surfing again, and with Uncle Kahana’s help, they’ve figured out how Zader can join them on the beach and on the reef at Piko Point.

Not bad for the weird kid with the water allergy.

But Zader has questions he can’t let go. Like who his birth parents are, who is The Man with Too Many Teeth, and how did Dream Girl’s imaginary lei end up in his bed? Who are the Niuhi, and if the Uncle Kahana’s Hawaiian legends are true, even out of the water, is anyone ever safe?

After jumping into the ocean at Piko Point, life will never be the same for fourteen-year-old Zader Kaonakai Westin, the adopted boy allergic to water.

Zader’s answers to who his birth parents are only leave him with more questions. When confronted by The Man With Too Many Teeth, he’s given an ultimatum: take away what’s most important to his brother Jay and live in exile from his Hawaiian family or watch as The Man with Too Many Teeth murders Jay.

Zader’s decision leads him on an adventure to discover his Niuhi family, how his art can change the world, and how family is defined by more than blood.

Devastated by his loss, Jay’s anger burns white-hot. This time it’s going to take Uncle Kahana, Nili-boy, and the Na Koa Wounded Warriors to get Jay back into the water.

Their alliance fractured, Jay, Zader, and Char Siu must work to reunite their family. After all, when Hawaiian gods are involved, destiny is not always what it appears.

About Lehua Parker

Lehua Parker is the award-winning author of the MG/YA Pacific literature magic realism series, The Niuhi Shark Saga: One Boy, No Water; One Shark, No Swim; and One Truth, No Lie.

Originally from Hawaii and a graduate of The Kamehameha Schools, Lehua is an author, book doctor, public speaker, and business consultant. Trained in literary criticism and an advocate of indigenous cultural narratives, Lehua is a frequent speaker at conferences and symposiums.

Now living in exile on the mainland with her family and assorted dogs, cats, and horses, during snowy winters she dreams about the beach.

Aaron is struggling to find happiness after his father’s suicide and his own suicide attempt. The closest he’s come is the time he’s spent with his new friend, Thomas, but that happiness comes with a confused bundle of other feelings and dangers, especially for a kid living the Bronx in the not too distant future, where levels of sexual equality and understanding haven’t changed a whole lot. What this future can offer him, however, is Leteo, a medical procedure that can alter his memories and the feelings attached to them to “straighten him out.” He’s beginning to think it’s his only chance.

The Downside:

The speculative and hyper-realist elements here unfortunately work against each other at points. Aaron’s social world is so grounded and lifelike that it at first feels like a brutally and beautifully honest look at a particular teenager’s life, before the sci-fi side of the story takes some of those true-to-life moments and puts a less grounded spin on them, making them more technically complicated but emotionally simpler. In particular, what appears to be a refreshingly positive sex scene turns out to be something else entirely.

The book as a whole is also unfailingly depressing. Not a flaw in and of itself, but the ending tries to offer some of the hope hinted at in the title, and that hope comes off a little more hollow than seems to be the intent.

Less integrally, there's also a fandom mentioned in the More Happy Than Not universe that's clearly a Harry Potter stand-in, which is fine on its own but feels out of place in a book that calls all its other pop culture references openly by name, including mentions of Marvel characters and even Emma Watson.

The Upside:

The Leteo procedure is a strong and fascinating sci-fi storytelling concept, and would likely garner no complaints from me if the story’s every turn were not so compellingly written that the whole equation feels like the stifled potential of multiple stories. It’s a twisting slight-of-hand narrative that throws itself whole-heartedly and skillfully into the feelings of every scene, even the illusionary ones.

The depictions of gender role prejudice, pressure, and violence, while hardly pleasant to read, are admirably unflinching. That part of the honesty remains throughout, and though the many fake-outs sometimes cloud the story’s direction to the point of clouding its meaning, by the end, the spirit of self-acceptance, kindness, and respect for differences is perfectly clear.

Agree? Disagree? Comments are always welcome (just keep it civil, folks)! Or keep up with my fictional musings by joining me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or by signing up for email updates in the panel on the right!

Simon Snow is the Chosen One, destined to save the World of Mages from the Insidious Humdrum and the brewing war between the elitist old families and the Mage who runs Watford school. If only Simon could get his explosive level of power under control. And maybe figure out how to make his girlfriend happy. And uncover what's up with Baz, his vampire roommate, the rival with whom he’s been nursing an obsessive mutual enmity since they were eleven.

The Downside:

The world of Carry On started as the subject of fanfiction in another Rainbow Rowell book, Fangirl, and the vestigially fanfic-y quality of the setup makes the characters a little difficult to connect with in their own right at first (what's with Harry Potter analogue characters always being named Simon, anyway?). Rowling doesn’t have a monopoly on stories about learning magic, of course, but some of the details here are distractingly specific.

The Upside:

Both the characters and world do eventually assert their uniqueness, and it's a beautiful thing when they do. Every conflict, personal or political, is explored on all sides with extraordinary finesse. The status-quo of the World of Mages is prejudicial and wrong, yet the loudest and therefore most influential revolutionary is half-mad and quick to jump to tactics that do more harm than good. There are good people and good intentions to be found on all sides of the fence, including in the camp that simply wants to run far away.

We get to hear what it’s like to be a chosen one waiting to die, trying to minimize the collateral damage, and yet privately clinging to the hope of a happily ever after he can’t even think about starting to build yet. We hear from the love interest who’d rather be at home away from magic and looming war, living her own story in the now, rather than continuing to be used in evil plot after evil plot as hostage or incentive for the Chosen One, on the promise of a chance to be his happy ending, if he ever gets there. And yet, she cares for him. We hear from the brilliant sidekick who throws herself into every adventure and never looks back. We hear from the generation past, who thought they were doing the right thing. We hear from the guy born into the elitist old money culture who knows that he’s growing into more than one thing his family hates, but the love of family remains, sweet and complicated and unresolvable.

Wrap all of that in a sincerely believable, Rainbow Rowell-grade forbidden romance, and Carry On is a masterpiece both as genre commentary and as a story to stand alone, in equal measure.

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In this stage-format sequel, the heroes of the Harry Potter septology are grown up and married, and their now Hogwarts-aged children are facing their own coming-of-age trials in a world threatened by the foretelling of Voldemort’s return. Best friends Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, two rebels who’ve never seen eye-to-eye with their respective (and differently notorious) fathers, are determined to find their own way, maybe correcting a few of the last generation’s mistakes as they go.

The Downside:

A few characters from the original series are decidedly ill-used by this coda. George Weasley is inexplicably unmentioned while Ron manages his joke shop. Ron is played almost entirely as the buffoon, with a few moments of genuine sweetness but none that recognize his heroic Gryffindor side. Some time travel shenanigans indicate that, before his death, Cedric Diggory was one public embarrassment away from becoming a murderous Death Eater. That’s not Cedric. That’s the exact opposite of the point of Cedric. He’s far from the most intimately explored character in the original series, but the one thing that’s made clear about him is that he’s humble and decent in the face of any challenge, and even within Cursed Child itself, Cedric is supposed to represent an innocent and senseless loss.

Unrelated to the sanctity of the original, Scorpius’s attempted courting of Rose Granger-Weasley feels thoroughly tacked on, presumably a (useless) attempt at fanfic deterrence once the writers noticed how cute a couple Albus and Scorpius were becoming. But fine. Okay. The power of platonic love is awesome too, and a major theme of the originals, so one could argue that there's a certain authenticity in the choice to make this sequel about friendship rather than romance. (They're really cute together, though.)

The Upside:

First, let me note that, like many diehard Harry Potter fans, I was both excited and apprehensive for the release of Cursed Child. I often find that generational sagas water down original classic characters, and the main Harry Potter series was beautifully tied up by Deathly Hallows. As thrilling as the prospect of returning to the fictional world that defined my childhood along with so many others might be, I found myself bracing for the possibility of an underwhelming dose of aimless nostalgia without substance.

I’m so glad to be wrong.

While nostalgic revisiting of classic scenes from the series is a recurring device, the magic is back, and it’s far from more of the same. Scorpius is a sweet, shy bookworm, and Albus, as he’d tell you himself, is not Harry 2.0. He’s not popular. He’s not a Gryffindor. He hates Quidditch. But the one thing he can’t shake from his genes is wanting to help people. Albus and Scorpius together carry their own adventure, bringing their own flavor and their own particular baggage.

There are moments of the books’ whimsical humor (the Trolley Witch’s backstory especially), and moments that do use the generational cycle of time in neat ways, including the new kids taking Polyjuice and impersonating Harry, Ron, and Hermione to infiltrate the ministry, just has Harry, Ron, and Hermione once impersonated the ministry officials of their day.

At the same time, Cursed Child dares to challenge some of the less satisfying points of the books. The returning characters get to call out the unanswered wrongs of the past. Ginny has well deserved issues about being left out and left behind. Harry no longer sees Dumbledore through a rose-tinted lens, and the audience is not asked to squint through one either.

In fact, the largely black hat/white hat style of the original series’ conflict is subverted in this follow-up. Slytherins can be good. Mentors can be wrong. Villains can be sad. Prophecies can be broken. It’s a more grownup story, which may be exactly what many now grownup Harry Potter fans will appreciate most about it.

It worked for this fan.

Agree? Disagree? Comments are always welcome (just keep it civil, folks)! Or keep up with my fictional musings by joining me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or by signing up for email updates in the panel on the right!